De-cluttering time!

Yesterday I found out that a really cool magazine editing/publishing job I'd applied for went to someone else. It was a blow that I'm still recovering from, and because I'd put so much off -- it would have involved a move to another city, so I didn't feel I could commit to anything more than a week or two in the future -- I suddenly felt the urge to start de-cluttering our house (also because we have a lot of people staying with us next week and I can't stand the thought of them having to weave their way through piles of junk).

Anyway...I enlisted Rachel's help tonight in cleaning out her bin of toys, the one that used to be in the living room and that we now keep in her bedroom closet. She was more helpful than I thought she'd be; I had assumed she'd kick up a huge fuss about having to get rid of her stuff but she matter-of-factly started tossing old toys into bankers' boxes. When I held up a stuffed animal or two, she'd say, "Well, that's really a baby toy," and watch it with cold, unsentimental eyes as I packed it up. It was kind of unnerving, actually -- she was wearing a cute corduroy dress with a kitty on the pocket and a pair of stockings, but her hair was pulled back by a tiny hairclip and she suddenly looked very, very grown-up to me. Enough to take my breath away, which is a usual occurrence these days.

We filled up five boxes with toys and books, and then Rachel busied herself with the playing cards covered with princesses that she discovered and told me she wanted to keep. She also said the most beautiful thing -- when I held up one of her stuffed giraffes, the one I use as a pillow when I'm cuddling with her at night, she said, "No, I want to keep it because you need it as a pillow when you lie down next to me." I was astonished at her thoughtfulness and maturity.

I thanked her profusely for working so hard, and treated her to pizza for dinner. We had a hilarious time when she asked me to sing, "She'll be coming round the mountain," and she started adding her own words -- "she'll be coming on a hot rod when she comes, vroom vroom!" which she learned at school -- and then she'd say, "and we'll all have chocolate pizza when she comes, yum! yum!" and I'd substitute, "yuck yuck!" and "no, no!" and "no way!" and "you've gotta be kidding!" and she cracked up as if I'd said the funniest thing in the world. That is the best thing about having kids -- they are so easy to entertain that I ended up thinking I'm not a total loser after all.